The title is a line from the new Batman movie,
The Dark Knight. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I highly encourage you to check out the movie before it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray. This is one of the films that shouldn't be watched when it comes to the discs but on the big screen. The purpose of this post isn't to JUST give praise to the film, but rather after watching the film and describing some of the most memorable moments to my brother I realized that a lot of thought went into the movie in certain areas of thought, relativity, philosophy/acting, and irony. So if you're reading my post and have not watched the movie... SPOILER ALERT !!!
If anyone hasn't watched the movie I'll warn you one more time - SPOILER ALERT !!! Now that I've gotten that away lets go to the movie plot analysis.
From the picture above whoever created this poster/advertisement was a genius. It summarizes all that the movie represents. Batman being in the middle perfectly depicts the notion of being a vigilante but yet in order to do so, requires some taking matters into one's own hands - which to many of us civilians (whether in the movie or real life) feel there are no exceptions to the law. Harvey Dent being on his left and the Joker on his right represents the classical idea of good and evil respectively, though in the end even the best of us falls.
I was never a fan of the Rachel Dawes character in the Batman installments but her role at least was not in vain for the second of three expected films. I initially suspected that the writers for the movie needed some way for Harvey "Two-Face" Dent to legitimately account for how he's destined to become "Two-Face", and that was to kill the Rachel Dawes character. But after some thought it seems that it would be the only legitimate way because of the character that Harvey is - a public protagonist that stands for good, justice and the end of corruption - along with having the new addition (referring to Dawes) as being Harvey's would-have-been wife, only to be killed is what pushed Harvey over the edge.
Speaking of the end of the movie, the ending is the only outcome that would have made the movie coherent, logical, and true to the title of the movie. Alfred even made a reference to the end of the movie when he said that Batman can make all the decisions that no one else can make because he is what he is by doing all that he has done.
All throughout the movie you should have realized that Batman was forced to make many Utilitarian (a decision that has the best possible outcome for all scenarios) choices. As in the case of "giving to the demands of the Joker" because people were dying left and right, and saving that one person's life who knew the real identity when the world wanted him dead to save everyone in hospitals. All the decisions in the end led to a world where Batman was not considered a vigilante, a knight in shining armor but rather "The Dark Knight".
The writers also masterminded the logical flow of cause and effect towards the ending of the film. Regular movie goers wouldn't probably have not paid attention to the detail but being a huge fan of Batman help me notice endings that fit the movie and endings that are just to end the movie. All the while Batman is fighting between the obvious evil, all the citizens were fighting along side but in a sense of themselves. The following scenarios encourage this idea:
The "I believe in Harvey Dent" catch-phrase summarizes the hope that the citizens of Gotham need and need to stand behind amidst the internal corruption in the city...
That very same hope was again declared and enforced publicly in Bruce Wayne's fundraiser...
And that very same hope was the reason why Batman imposed the idea on Commissioner Gordon that it was Batman who killed captured and killed Harvey Dent (A little detail here regular movie goers might have missed is that Harvey Dent to all the civilians was missing after the hospital incident until they end of the movie). If the civilians realized that Harvey "Two-Face" Dent became a bad guy, all the hope of a better Gotham would've been shattered...
And that hope for a better Gotham wouldn't have been more clearer than in the "social experiment" set up by the Joker with the two Staten Island Ferry bombing detonators. One can tell that both boats were eager to live, that although the vote was in favor of detonating the convicts no one wanted to get their hands dirty and carry that conscious, and even though in the beginning it was very hectic upon hearing the announcement from the Joker the convicted banked their lives on the hope of the law-abiding citizens - almost to the point where they knew when it came down to it that they deserved what they got if their boat was detonated, and that also when the big black guy said "give me the detonator and I will do what you should have done 10 minutes ago" and threw the detonator out the window.
A quote by C.S. Lewis in
Mere Christianity says, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for the sort of man he is..." - that quote cannot ring any louder in the movie.
The acting by far was the best in all around superhero movies. Yes the character played by Robert Downy Jr. was superb but one person can only carry the movie so much - whereas the cast for
The Dark Knight had three great actors (Batman as a character is a negative when it came to acting but lets be serious... would anyone really take Batman seriously if you heard a soft toned voice like Christian Bale's?) and two of which play off each other very well
Christian Bale - as Bruce Wayne
Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger - as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent and the Joker respectively
Christian Bale plays a very good Bruce Wayne - stuck up, and feels that money can get him anything... not that much to say about him since this is his second movie.
There isn't much to say concerning the part that Heath Ledger played because well, its obvious and any sort of description praising him for a great performance would be unjustified. The only thing I will say is that anyone who asks the question, "Is Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson a better Joker?" - to which the answer is that each was great in their time and their interpretation of the Joker by far exceeded the expectations and doubt that anyone had on depicting an insane, mindless and morbid character.
I'd like to make a point to give credit where it's due and that is the role played by Aaron Eckhart. There can be only so much killing and so much ultimatums from the Joker without having some real purpose behind all that he does and A.E. did a great job in portraying a relentless beacon of hope against all that is evil, until the last 30 minutes of the movie that is. A.E should definitely be up for at least a nomination for best supporting Actor in a movie for his role as Harvey "Two-Face" Dent.
In retrospect the movie even though it's called
The Dark Knight, isn't so much about Batman ironically but rather one can sense the film becomes more about Harvey and the Joker, while Batman is just there for the ride, getting caught up in all that Joker plans against Harvey.
Lastly since there will be a third Batman in the Christopher Nolan films, I'd like to present my case and theories for the third installment.
1 - I believe that Batman's third installment will be a battle between the Joker and Batman himself. Why? For a couple of reasons and the main one being that unlike the original Batman in the mid 1980s, Joker in this film does not die. It is understood that the S.W.A.T. team has custody of him.
Another reason is the idea that the Joker hinted at Batman just after he is thrown off the roof, caught and left hanging upside down. He says something along the lines that he and Batman are destined to be arch-rivals in a sense that the epitome of Good vs. Evil is Batman and the Joker respectively.
Another reason why I believe the Joker will be part of the third installment is because an introduction of a new villian such as maybe Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Bane, and the Penguin are all lame and would take away the kind of atmosphere and feeling that the writers and Christopher Nolan worked so hard to create for the audience to be immersed in.
The reason why Christopher Nolan's Batman series is such a success is because of that atmosphere and feeling the audience can relate to. As they watch the two films anyone can relate to the idea that everything that happens in the movie, either has happened (as in the case of corruption of the internal workings of political and government agencies) or has a chance of happening (a ferry boat bombing, a hospital threat, etc). With the introduction of Mr. Freeze, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Bane and the Penguin all take away that seriousness and swings toward the lighter and more comical sense that
Batman Forever and
Batman and Robin portrayed (both of which were terrible movies).
I haven't developed an opinion of Cat-woman yet... but I feel its a possibility. But lastly for any Batman fan, the Joker will always be Batman's arch-rival and enemy. Just like X-Men's arch-enemy is Magneto, Batman's arch-enemy is the Joker. The only problem that my theory comes across is finding another Joker... I don't have a solution for it and it is the basis for my second theory.
My only other theory for the third installment for Christopher Nolan's Batman series stems from the Joker theory - and that is Batman dies. For real I honestly believe that Christopher Nolan did such an excellent job of recreating the Batman hero for the new generation, that it would only be right and symbolic of the writers to end the "trilogy" so to speak by killing Batman off as Christopher Nolan planned to only direct three Batman movies.
All in all,
The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie of this decade. I used to go around saying it's the best superhero movie of all time but I also happen to like Tim Burton's version of Batman and that still ranks as number one in super-hero movies.
Anyone that says Iron Man was a better super-hero movie and only basing that on visually tantalizing stimulus to the eyes loses all credibility when it comes to judging what is good and what is a bad movie. I liked the Iron Man film but the movie was not as intricately weaved and complex in terms of storyline and the villian in the end was just as predictable as the sun rising every day.
Can't wait for
The Dark Knight to come out on Blu-ray.
" LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE !! "
